


Any Price

by Kbdizzle



Category: The Infernal Devices Series - Cassandra Clare
Genre: F/M, hints of herongraystairs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-05
Updated: 2020-06-05
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:41:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,604
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24556360
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kbdizzle/pseuds/Kbdizzle
Summary: For her, Jem would pay any price.A one shot conveying a short scene between Tessa and Jem in the 21st centruy, Except this time neither one of them confessed their love at blackfriar's bridge. Here it what happened as a result of that
Relationships: secretly love each other - Relationship
Comments: 7
Kudos: 2





	Any Price

Author's note, please read: Hello. I do not own any of The Infernal Device characters. They belong to the wickedly talented Cassandra clare. Any other character mentioned however is my OC. I have not read any other material of Cassandra Clares expect, for TMI and TID. So if events are not adding up that is why.

For context: Its 2012, Tessa is at an upscale fundraising event with her... lover of sorts. Jem and Tessa have already met on the Bridgefriar bridge, but rather than declaring their love for each other, they're trying to understand each other as the people they're today and not the girl or boy they once knew. Jem does something to help settle that conflict here.

This is a one-shot

Classical music lilted around her. Tessa contentedly drifted in between her own thoughts and getting lost in the music. The soft sounds of the violin weaving between the piano brought a strange sense of comfort to her. An image of a boy with silver hair that pratically glowed in the candlelight, a soft smile, and calleoused fingers flickered in her mind, just for a moment. she was sobered by the thought that boy no longer existed now, and yet, her eyes flashed to across the room, as James Carstairs, ex-silent brother, kept up good banter with his niece, Emma Carstairs

It occurred to her that her dress was too tight, and the champagne too light, and the music too soft and yet here she was. Donned up like a mourner at a funeral at one of the most glamorous parties of the year. Eugene Beatlesworth, the CEO of the York&York publishing company was holding his annual fundraising event. All 300 employees, including Tessa had been invited. On a typical day she would have never accepted the invite, but Michael, her... what was he really? (A Lover, a business partner, a conviency?) had simply insisted they come. After all, rubbing shoulders with New York's finest couldn't hurt, could it? She wasn't sure what Michael was to her, but modernity taught her to stop using labels. She was a conumdrum herself, not quite a warlock and not quite a shadowhunter either. in nearly 150 years the sideway glances hadn't stopped, but the look had changed. What once was disgust, was now acute awe. Her eyes traveled the room, where another warlock's mocha skin glittered under the chandliers, contrasting starkly where his hand intertwined with his husband's. Times really had changed, Tessa mused.

She startled at the presence of a cold hand on her shoulder. She smiled and relaxed when she realized who it was. Jem's warm smile, made her feel like perhaps nothing had really changed at all.

"You know, most people dance or converse at these things?"

"Oh? and you were always so outgoing at Charlotte's christmas parties? last time I checked you used to still cookies from the kitchen when no one was looking,"

"A yes, but a certain rebellious shadowhunter always made sure we never got caught."

His name hung heavily in the air between them. Not now, not yet. Tessa had long gotten used to hearing Will's name without cringing, but not Jem. Not yet.

"Want to dance?" Jem asked, holding out a hand to her.

She warmed at the thought, something akin to butterflies fluttered in her stomach. It was feeling she hadn't felt in a long time. She felt a particular set of eyes on her, but ignored them as she took Jem's hand. Her dress was modest in comparison to what others were wearing. It was a simple black form fitting cross-neck grown, with a plunging back. She willed herself not to startle when Jem's fingers moved across her bare skin. It was a polite gesture, he kept his hand firmly at the middle of her back. She felt somewhat dissapointed, but soon they were swaying to the music, and he was a lot closer than she realized. Her eyes were level to his collar bone, the delicate bones there peaking ever so slightly from underneath his slightly rumpled white button-down. She wanted to smooth it out for him, but there were many people here, many whom were probably dying to dance with Jem Carstairs, who was she to take that opportunity away from him and a potential suitor by acting like his wife.

it would be so easy to rest her head on his shoulder, close her eyes, and lose herself in the music. But Jem's hand at her back felt stiff, his posture just a little too on edge. In fact, she hadn't noticed it as first but he seemed almost antsy. As if he was mentally preparing himself to flee. She finally caught her eye and he gave her a tight smile. She frowned and Jem looked at her as if he had anticipated this moment. Which gave her a feeling of unease, perhaps he hadn't simply wanted to dance.

"Tessa" He said, his voice thick with whatever emotion he was trying to supress or convey, "you know, I would never deliberately do anything to hurt you right?"

She stiffened, the music continued to waft sweetly between them, but her heart was racing. What did he possibly want to her say to her? She willed herself to behave normally and looked at him as if amused.

"Well I would certainly hope so, after all I did let you stay with me for a time, remember?"

It had been right after Jem came to her on the bridge in his mundane clothing. The brotherhood had given him a gracious paycheck for his work as a silent brother, with that money and the ample inheritance left to him by his parents was enough to help him eventually leave Tessa's New York residence. A move neither one of them wanted, and yet had never protested either.

Jem could not bring himself to stoop so low as to intervene when Tessa clearly had a lover. Their relationship may have been purely beneficial, but he wasn't going to force Tessa's hand. Tessa on the other hand, couldn't bear to watch Jem stay or go. She wanted to see him grow old, get married, have children, but if it wasn't with her she wasn't sure she could watch, and if it was with her, she wasn't sure if she could handle another husband's death, another child gone, another marriage deduced to a precious memory. So she said nothing when he proposed leaving, she said nothing when she saw him by chance talking to a lovely girl in a coffee shop she used to frequent. She said nothing, when he pulled her into him and kissed her forehead before he walked out the door. She didn't tell him then that she was madly in love with him. And she supposed she would do no such thing now.

Jem's hand on her back lowered and she felt herself being pulled into him. They were friends, not lovers and she was acutely aware that Michaels was somehwere in the background surely watching and she was acutely aware the lovely girl from the coffee shop had been Jem's number two today. He was incredibly close now. it wouldn't take much, just a tilt of the head to kiss him.

"I would pay any price if it meant keeping you safe Tessa. Any price, even if it meant you hating me."

She was confused now. This seemed to be coming out of left field.

"Jem, I could never hate you. Not even if I tried. There's nothing in the world that could make me hate you."

Jem's face was grave when his eyes met hers, "Are you sure?"

She didn't have time to answer. Jem had closed the gap between them on his own accord. It took her a minute to realize he was kissing her, hard, and with an intensity she had only rarely seen.

She was bewildered but that didn't stop her from kissing him back. She couldn't hear the music, and her body felt too hot. She wanted to take him far away from judging eyes, to a place where words didn't need to be said to convey she loved him.

and suddenly the warmth of him was gone and the ochestra struck violently in her ears. She stared at him but his eyes were as hard as rocks. His face so distraught that she couldn't help but think of another boy with black hair and blue eyes and she was struck dumb by the familarity of the expression. But this time it wore the wrong face. Jem, her Jem shouldn't be looking at her like that. Not when he was free and uncursed.

"Tessa," Jem said, his voice tight in his throat, "You may despise me, but I am not sorry, just remember that for you, I would pay any price,"

She was too bewildered to speak and Jem left her no time. He brushed past her without pause. She stood, now alone, in the middle of a crowded ballroom. A pretty girl with a lovely face stared at her with a look of undeniable sadness, but Tessa realized quickly she wasn't staring at her but rather surely at the receeding back of a man who just openly admitted he had feelings for another.

She felt another pair of eyes staring at her. Bright orange in their fury, Michael's eyes bore into her. What had just happened? What had she done?

Outside a boy with a faded parabatai rune looked at his watch, it was time to go. After all, he did say he would pay any price.


End file.
